Officials: 300 attend Ritzville wedding leading to virus outbreakFree

RITZVILLE — Health officials are asking more than 300 attendees of a wedding near Ritzville on Nov. 7 to get tested for COVID-19 after several people tested positive.

The Grant County Health District said in a news release Monday that anyone who attended the wedding is being asked to quarantine through Nov. 21.

County officials said as of Monday, 17 county residents have tested positive and that attendees diagnosed with COVID-19 have also been linked to two subsequent outbreaks. Officials said they were alerting the public because they won’t be able to otherwise find every person who attended the event.

At the time of the wedding ceremonies had been limited to 30 people. As of Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee has prohibited receptions and is putting in place other restrictions in an effort to stem a recent spike in cases of the coronavirus that threatens to overwhelm the health care system.

Additional governors and mayors are also ratcheting up COVID-19 restrictions ahead of Thanksgiving for fear that holiday travel and family gatherings will only worsen the record-breaking, coast-to-coast resurgence of the virus. In Washington, leaders are ordering or imploring residents to stay home and keep their distance from others to help stem a rising tide of infections.

State health officials on Monday reported an additional 1,492 COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths throughout Washington.

The latest update brings the state’s totals to more than 131,500 cases and 2,548 deaths, according to the state Department of Health.

The state also reported that 9,518 people have been hospitalized in the state because of the virus, reflecting 93 new hospitalizations, The Seattle Times reported.